The After
by ohriverdale
Summary: "Felicity, you're going to be the one who brings him back to us." What happens after 3x09, when Oliver returns.
1. Prologue

**My take on what happens with Olicity after 3x09. **

Felicity walked in, not bothering to turn on the lights to her apartment. She found it easier to think in the dark-where she couldn't see anything- because lately everything she saw reminded her of him.

It had been a little over a month since the news of Oliver's death had reached them. Nyssa had been brief, but she didn't need to say anything for them to know. Her presence was enough.

Felicity didn't remember much of the week that followed that day, only that she saw the world through watery eyes and walked around with a sharp pain in her chest. It felt like she had been shot- bleeding everywhere- invisible blood pouring from her eyes, heart, and mouth, tasting like regret and despair. She couldn't remember ever feeling like this, even when she thought Cooper had killed himself. This wasn't the same; it carried a different weight.

They didn't tell Laurel, Thea, or anyone. It didn't feel right taking him away from them a second time. She felt that if the rest world didn't know, it didn't make it real.

Felicity fumbled around her apartment, instinctively, for the island counter. When she finally located it, she swung her purse on top while simultaneously slipping off her heels, feeling the pain of walking around for five hours in the arch of her foot. Ray had asked her to accompany him to a trade show, where they meandered around meeting and greeting numerous sales people, both deciding at the end that it was pointless and proceeded to go get froyo. She thought about telling Ray once or twice about Oliver, only because he too had lost someone that he cared about, but she then realized the stupidity of this scenario- there was too much to explain, too much history.

Felicity didn't want to think about the past, she was tired of playing the 'what if' game with herself. She mostly thought about the last time she'd seen Oliver, when he told her he loved her and she hadn't said it back. She knew that if she had reciprocated, it wouldn't have changed anything, he would have still gone. But even still, she wondered if it would ease this regret that she had been carrying around with her. What she would give to see him one last-

There was suddenly a loud bang from Felicity's room, shaking her thoughts. She froze, feeling adrenaline climb up her body and buzz in her head, making the darkness around her sharpen with clarity. She could see her bedroom door was open, but she didn't see any shadows inside from the moonlight, which meant the intruder was either by her dresser or on the floor. She crept closer, her feet gliding purposefully across the carpet. She didn't know what she was going to do when she confronted the person, but with the limited amount of time she'd had training with Diggle, she knew she could at least harm him enough to get away or call the police.

Felicity was suddenly struck by a thought- she was on the third floor of her apartment building- which meant whoever this was, had to have distinctly picked her apartment, purposefully. Which meant she wasn't dealing with some fresh-faced rookie robber, but rather someone in the range of Diggle or Roy's expertise.

There was more movement from her room, as she suddenly saw a shadow move swiftly across her bedspread. This time she turned to look at her front door, able to make out the handle from where she stood. If she was quick enough…

Felicity didn't think about it a second longer as she lunged back toward the door, hearing heavy footsteps behind her as she finally grabbed hold of the handle. She pulled, but it only opened partially before a hand came down hard on the back of the door, closing it immediately. Felicity almost screamed from shock but a hand came down on her mouth as she backed herself up against the door. When she looked up, she realized it was too dark to make out who she was looking at, but a familiarity came over her, and when the man spoke she felt her entire body go numb.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Felicity," he said, his silhouette so black she thought she was talking to a shadow- a ghost.

"Oliver?" Felicity said, the name coming out unsure and rusted, like it hadn't been used in a while. He didn't say anything, but she could feel his presence, feel _him_. He removed his hand from her mouth as she moved to turn on the light.

**More to come! Hope you enjoyed reading! **


	2. Chapter 1

** Thanks for reading! Here's more! Hope you all enjoy…**

He was there, fully formed, in the light.

Living. Breathing. _Moving._

Too often she had found herself imagining Oliver brought back to her in a body bag, his face white and empty, like she had felt all during that month. But here he was, standing in front of her, so close that she could hear his breaths and see his heartbeat pulsating through the skin on his neck. She couldn't bring herself to move, for fear that he would evaporate right in front of her if she did.

"Oliver," she said his name again, feeling it tingle on her tongue and hang in the air. He was staring at her intently, his jaw set as he kept one hand on the door behind her and the other falling loosely at his side. She studied his face carefully, as if she were looking for some kind of proof that she was hallucinating or dreaming. But every crease and fold stayed true to him, his muscles stretched against a black shirt he had on, different than the one he had left in. Her eyes continued to search him, looking for any proof of falsity, waiting for a glitch in his perfect physique, but it wasn't until she met his eyes that she found something off. They were still his, blue and wide, but he was looking at her differently, his gaze distant and hungry for something she didn't know.

"How are you here right now?" Felicity asked, reaching a hand up to touch him. "How are you-"

She meant to say _alive_, but he brought his free hand up to catch her wrist before it could touch his face. His grasp was hard at first, like he feared her hand was poison, but then it loosened as he read the shock in her face.

"Something's happened to me," he said, suddenly, dropping her wrist. He then turned and stepped away from her- Felicity almost whimpered in protest, wanting, in that moment, only to grab hold if him.

Felicity frowned as she watched him walk into her living room, moving slowly away from her. The way he placed his hands on her couch, as if he were using it for support, or the slight shake in his arms that made the short sleeves of his shirt tremble, made her realize that maybe he wasn't as untouched as she had thought. The farther he got from her the more she noticed that his entire posture and demeanor was different, more unstable. Still, she couldn't shake the beating in her chest, which begged her to remember that he wasn't dead, he was here, with her.

"You're not dead," she said, pointing out what was already evident. Her years at MIT would have called for some in-depth analysis, but she couldn't see past the obvious. "You're here- I mean- you're actually here…Nyssa told us that-"

"I was," Oliver said, his voice sounding suddenly broken.

Felicity paused but took a step toward him.

"You were what?"

"Dead," Oliver said, turning to look at her. "I was dead."

Felicity blinked rapidly.

"I mean," Oliver said, his eyes refusing to meet Felicity's as he glanced around the room. "I remember dying, the feeling of being stabbed by Ra al Ghul was- definite."

Oliver was having a thought, a memory, or something had happened in that moment that ruffled him, but whatever it was passed suddenly and he was on to the next idea.

"But then I woke up in the lair," he said, his eyes darting across the carpet like a cat tracking a laser beam. "I thought that Digg or Roy had somehow gotten me from the mountain, so I waited for you all, but none of you ever showed."

Felicity felt a slight pang in her chest at the realization that she hadn't spoken with Roy or Digg all that much over the past month, nevermind gone down to the lair.

"We haven't been down there since you left," Felicity said, her voice quiet. "It didn't seem right."

Oliver met her eyes, a fierce look in them as she noted that he seemed angered by this, his eyebrows furrowing as he rolled his lips.

"What do you mean you haven't been down there?" He said, sounding offended. "What have you all been doing since I've been away?"

Felicity knew she wasn't hiding the shock of this moment very well, her face was probably giving away all kinds of confusion. But there was also this sudden, sharp feeling of irritation at his judgmental tone that drummed through her.

"What have we been doing?" She repeated his question, just to make sure he had heard himself. "I don't know Oliver, grieving mostly, like normal human beings."

Oliver didn't seem fazed by her sudden spark of emotion.

"While the rest of the city remains a target?" He asked, now sitting on the arm of the couch.

Felicity blinked a few times, trying to understand where this sudden hostility was coming from.

"I'm sorry if us losing you was such an _inconvenience_ to the city," she said, hearing the tremble in her voice but not caring. "But we thought you were _dead_ Oliver, as in we-are-never-going-to-see-you-again dead."

"Just because I'm gone doesn't mean you should drop everything and neglect Starling," Oliver said, like he was talking to a fellow co-worker rather than someone he cared about-loved even. "Taking me out of the equation doesn't make you any less of a hero with responsibilities, Felicity."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was obviously looking at Oliver, and although it was obvious things had changed, the way he presented himself_ seemed_ like Oliver. But in a way, it was like she was talking to the Arrow, who only seemed set on saving his city. She felt fresh tears prick her eyes, brought on by this feeling that her emotions were suddenly being betrayed.

"I'm sorry," Oliver said, bringing a hand up to his head, threading his fingers through his hair. She thought he was going to apologize for dismissing her feelings so vehemently, but then he added: "I shouldn't have come."

She felt her stomach sink in that moment, like a weight heavier than his death had suddenly dropped on her. She wanted to ask him about his last words to her- what had happened to that Oliver- but she saw that he was rising to leave.

"What did they do to you," she whispered, so quietly she wasn't sure if he could hear her, but his eyes shot up in her direction. For a moment he looked saddened by this, like he too wanted to know, as desperately as she did, but then the look was gone as he made a move toward her-toward the door.

"I'm going to find Diggle," he said, his voice flat as he passed by her. "See if he knows anything about my revival, I'll call you if I find out anymore information."

Felicity watched his back as he reached for the door handle, she was so frustrated that she almost said something she would have later regretted, but then something on the back of his shirt caught her eye.

"Wait," Felicity said, moving toward him as he slowly turned to her. She grabbed the lower right side of his black shirt and brought the faintly embroidered lettering up closer to her face. When Oliver saw what she was looking at he raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes, trying to see what she saw.

"What does it say?" He said, too far away to see clearly. When Felicity looked up at him, he took note of the shock in her eyes, and was about to ask again when she said in a low voice: "Star Laboratories"


	3. Chapter 2

**I got requests to make this one longer! So here you go! **

**FYI: For those of you who don't watch the Flash, there's really only one thing you need to know for the context of this chapter: Dr. Wells is from the future. Happy reading! **

"So you're telling me this supposed mythical Lazarus Pit has chemical properties that can bring people back from the dead?" Oliver said into the receiver, bending over the computer system, as he ran his thumb along the metal part of Felicity's desk.

Flashback three hours before and Felicity was calling up Diggle and Roy, asking them to come down to the lair because there was someone they needed to see. She couldn't tell them over the phone, it didn't seem right after all the turmoil they had been through. Besides, seeing _was_ believing. She'd felt bad about not visiting them in the month that had passed, but she knew that if she did, a fresh wave of memories would washed over her, scratching at her wounds, making it that much harder to heal.

Felicity was surprised to find that Diggle was less shocked than she had imagined he would be. At first he stood there staring at Oliver, scanning him a few times to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

"I considered the thought that Nyssa had been lying to us when she said you were dead." Was the first thing Diggle said as he moved in for a hug, and although this clearly made Oliver tense up, he returned the gesture with a clap on Digg's back. "I had a feeling it wasn't true."

"I was dead," Oliver said, and then explained to both him and Roy, who stood there looking stunned, that he remembered dying but didn't know how he survived or got back to Starling City.

"That's why we need to call up Star Labs," Felicity chimed in, holding up Oliver's Star Laboratories shirt for Roy and Digg to see the embroidered logo.

Luckily they were able to get a hold of Dr. Wells easily.

"I was waiting for this call," Dr. Wells said, then yawned, signaling he had been awoken from his slumber. "Although maybe not this early."

Felicity put him on speaker as they all stood huddled next to each other in the lair, drilling Dr. Wells with questions.

Two things were made clear within the first couple of minutes: Oliver had been cured by Lazarus Pit, a chemical pool that can be found in multiple places, although Oliver had been brought to the nearest one in Tibet. The second things was that Dr. Wells had given Barry instructions on where to take Oliver, which was why he was able to quickly be restored before he died. Despite it taking nearly a month for the pit to cure Oliver, Barry was able to get him back to Starling as quickly as he could.

"You were lucky," Dr. Wells said after briefly explaining. "Resurrecting someone in the chemical pools usually causes worse side effects."

They all stared at each other, clearly baffled, but Felicity told herself that after finding out what Barry could do, she should get used to expecting the impossible. She had heard Merlyn allude to Lazarus Pit before, but she always brushed it off as a myth or fantasy.

"How did you know where I was?" Oliver asked, his voice even and his eyes bright. Felicity could see all the questions buzzing in his head. "Or that I had been-_injured_?"

There was a long pause on the opposite end of the receiver, as Dr. Wells seemed to consider this.

"With all due respect Mr. Queen," Dr. Wells said, his voice quieter. "You have your secrets and I have mine. There are still some things I'd like to keep to myself."

He paused again.

"I _foresaw_ that you weren't done fighting yet," he said, and Felicity noted that there was some humor in his voice. "And all you need to know is that the world isn't simply black and white, and the fact that you are alive isn't a result of some coincidence."

No one said anything as they all stood there, staring at the phone.

"Just be glad you're alive Mr. Queen," Dr. Wells said, then: "And you're welcome."

A second later he hung up. A simple click on the other end before the line went dead.

There was a moment of silence before: "That guy is seriously creepy," Diggle said, as he turned away, shaking his head.

"I'd always thought the Lazarus Pit was something of a folk tale," Oliver said, more to himself as he grabbed his phone.

"Clearly not," Roy said, still staring at Oliver in amazement.

"I'm starting to believe that nothing is impossible," Digg said, looking between Felicity and Oliver.

"What if Ra al Ghul finds out you're alive?" Felicity asked, a new wave of fear washing over her, she couldn't bare to think of history repeating itself. Oliver looked at Felicity, rolling his lips as he digested her words.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," he said, finally. "I'll just stay out of Merlyn's hair, and try not to attract anyone from the league."

Roy and Digg nodded, both still trying to process everything.

"Besides," Oliver said, moving toward his suit, which still hung from its case, untouched. "There's work to be done here."

Diggle seemed to see this as an opening because he immediately went into the affairs of the city. Clearly Felicity was the only one to disconnect from Starling's issues during Oliver's leave of absence.

"I don't know if you've been "alive" long enough to hear about the explosive and toxic chemicals that have been popping up all over Starling," Digg said, seeming glad to jump right back into how things used to be. Felicity scoffed at him, but he took no notice. "But it's getting worse."

"I briefly heard about it on the news while driving here," Oliver said, nodding.

It was true, while in Felicity's car, as she kept glancing over at him from the driver's seat, they had been listening to a report on a series of toxic gas bombs that had been going off all over the city. Felicity hadn't been paying much attention though, her head swarming with Oliver and his return, still fresh in her mind.

"I'm going to head over to Lyla to see if A. R. G. U. S. has any information on it," Digg said, motioning for Roy to follow him. Oliver nodded, signaling that he was staying to see what he could uncover here.

"Hey, Oliver," Digg said suddenly, pausing before turning back to his partner, a soft look in his eye. "It's good to have you back."

Oliver gave a small nod before turning back to his work. Felicity looked between the two before following after Digg, catching up with him and Roy once they were outside.

"I can't believe he's alive," Roy said, more to himself as Felicity caught Digg's arm. Diggle turned around, giving her a small smile.

"Digg," Felicity said, her tone making him stop and listen. "Did Oliver seem…strange to you?"

Both him and Roy seemed to consider this as they looked at each other.

"I guess," Digg said, pursing his lips. "Maybe a little off."

"More than a little," Felicity said, shaking her head. "It's like some kind of robotic replica," she mumbled, as if Oliver were listening. "With the same really great muscles but a stoic disposition that's been upped to a level ten on the Oliver emotionless scale."

Diggle shook his head as Roy navigated around the car to the passenger seat, ducking inside.

"It's probably some side effect of the chemical pool," Digg said, not sounding concerned. "Dr. Wells said that was a possibility didn't he?"

Felicity cocked her head to the side, as if to say 'yeah, but-'

"Hey," Digg said, touching Felicity gently on the shoulder. "Don't worry, he'll come around."

Felicity nodded and gave a small smile.

"I know," she said, but wasn't one hundred percent sure if she did.

-Arrow-

Felicity walked down the lair steps, the clank of her heels against the metal sent an unnerving wave of noise through the dead quiet. She saw Oliver hunched over the cadaver table, his head down as he studied some papers that were splayed out before him. She noticed that he was still shirtless, meaning he hadn't left to grab a change of clothes since she last saw him a few hours ago. The rest of the night she had stayed up replaying the scene of him in her apartment over and over again, fearing that if she fell asleep, she would wake up to find that it had all been a dream. But she had somehow dozed off and awoken to a number of text messages from Oliver asking her to meet him below Verdant. She felt relief, but there was also a nagging feeling that he wasn't the Oliver she remembered. The Lazarus Pit had obviously magnified his ability to block out his emotions, to ignore how he felt about _her_. This made Felicity want to scream or cry, maybe a combination of both, but she had done enough of that over the past month. And after all, he was here, despite how little of him she could immediately recognize.

"How is everything?" She asked, walking up next to him. He didn't meet her eyes, instead, he lifted a hand and pointed at a paper directly in the center of the spread.

"Did you know that these mini toxic explosions all contain the same rare chemical combination ratio?" Oliver said, his voice precise and low. "Meaning they are all coming from the same source."

"I meant," Felicity said, not bothering to pay attention to the data. "How is everything with _you_?"

She saw his jaw tighten as he looked up from the papers, his mind transitioning from one subject to the next as his eyes settled on the salmon ladder in front of him.

"I'm fine," he said, straightening out before turning to look at her. He held his head high, a trait of his she had learned to spot when he was unsure or upset about something.

"You're not fine, Oliver," she said, parting her lips as he sighed and turned away from her. She _hated_ when he did that. She wanted to grab his arm and turn him back around, shake him until she saw the man who had been so open with her not so long ago. "You're jittery and distant- throwing yourself back into being the Arrow like you didn't just rise from the dead-"

"Felicity," he said suddenly, meeting her eyes. "What do you want me to say? No, I'm not the same person who left and we both know that." His stare was heavy as he continued. "The only difference is I've accepted it and you haven't."

Felicity swallowed hard, but the lump in her throat wouldn't go down. She didn't trust her voice but she spoke anyways.

"Do you even remember what you said to me before you left?"

Oliver paused as he scanned her face, rolling his lips as he chose his words.

"I told you I loved you," he said, softly and as-a-matter-of-fact, then: "and when Ra al Ghul stabbed me through the chest do you know what my last thought was?"

Felicity didn't respond, she only stared at him, watching the way his mouth moved with his words.

"You," he said, almost tenderly, but there was still that hard stare as he continued. "The memories are there, etched into my brain like a drawing, but- I can't connect with those emotions right now." She could see that he was begging her to understand, but she didn't. Always being such an emotional person, Felicity couldn't fathom suppressing how she felt about anyone, especially Oliver- with the help of some weird chemical compound or not.

"It's a choice," Felicity said, her voice shaking. "You're choosing to put up this wall."

Oliver didn't seem convinced of this as he turned away from her, his moves deliberate and precise, like he was counting each second as it passed.

"I'm sorry," he said, pausing momentarily. "That I'm not living up to who you expected me to be when I came back-"

"That's the thing, Oliver," Felicity jumped in, her voice rising. "I didn't have any expectations, because I never _expected_ you to be standing in front of me right now."

Oliver opened his mouth, about to respond, when a series of footsteps emerged from behind them. Diggle and Roy walked into the brightly lit room, Diggle throwing down a manila folder on the cadaver table in front of Oliver.

"I think we found a lead on who's been conducting these explosions," Diggle said, nodding at both Oliver and Felicity. "We know it's someone working outside of the city and on some kind of chemical plantation but we're going to need to dig a little deeper."

Oliver nodded at Digg and then turned back to Felicity but she was shaking her head.

"I need some air," Felicity said, not bothering to make eye contact with anyone as she turned to leave.

"Felicity," Oliver said in a low voice.

"In fact," she said, her voice unstable as she lifted her index finger and turned to them. "I'm taking the night off."

-Arrow-

Felicity slammed back the shot so fast that she almost choked. She had always seen other people do it so well, but the mixture of strong Vodka and her lack of practice almost did her in. She had drank often enough in college but it had been a number of years since her last shot. After leaving the team down below, Felicity had made it a total of thirty feet for 'some air,' which ended up being the smell of sweat and tequila at a bar stool in Verdant. Her body suddenly buzzed to life and she wasn't sure if it was the spontaneous consumption of alcohol or the irritation of the past 24 hours finally hitting her. No matter how many times she told herself that Oliver was alive she still had a hard time believing it- maybe because he had been acting like an impassive ass and she was sure that the real Oliver had yet to show up. She suddenly craved the long stares she would catch him giving her, or the soft and brief touches to her elbow and arm that he made when speaking to her. Digg and Roy didn't get it because they hardly ever saw past the cool and collected exterior of Oliver; they didn't pay attention the tiny fragments of emotion he discreetly disclosed. When she saw him now, all that was gone, and she knew it broke her more than it should.

"Hey there," a voice said, catching Felicity off guard as she jumped, almost spilling her third shot. She whipped her head to the right, where a guy with shaggy hair and bright blue eyes greeted her, a mischievous grin on his face as he took her in.

"Hi," she said, mentally scolding herself for sounding so shy and embarrassed, as if he could hear her thoughts.

"You going to take that?" He asked, pointing to the shot, which shook in her hand. She glanced down at it and then back up at him, wondering what the odds were of her almost choking again and making a complete idiot of herself. Instead of responding she threw her head back and downed it, pleasantly noticing that it went back easier than the first and second.

"Jeez," the guy said, clapping his hands in approval as he stepped toward her. "Haven't seen a shot go down that easy since college."

"You clearly haven't had the month I have," she responded, every inch of her body tingling as the lights of the club bounced around her with streams of blues and reds.

"That bad?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, his charm radiating off of him along with his cologne. Felicity wasn't dumb to think that this man wasn't flirting with her, and although she was in no mood to socialize, she found him surprisingly tolerable.

"You have no idea," she finally said, as he raised a hand to the bartender.

"Name's Carter," he said, offering a hand to her, which she took. He was firm but deliberate in his handshake, as she noticed his fingers lingering on the back of her hand a moment longer.

"Felicity," she said, forcing a tight smile. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or the fact that he was growing on her, but she took note of how much cuter he suddenly became as he nodded his head in approval.

"Beautiful," he said, shooting her another smile as he scooted into the stool next to her. "So what does this bad month consist of? Horrible break up? Fight with your girlfriends?"

"More along the lines of death and destruction," Felicity said, licking her lips. He laughed at this, obviously thinking that it was a joke. Felicity rolled her eyes in response.

"Interesting choice of words," he said, then thanking the bartender who handed him a drink.

"Major turnoff, I know," Felicity said quickly, then, backtracked. "Not that I was trying to turn you on with that statement, It's just- it's actually the truth…"

Felicity would have otherwise noticed her babbling and stopped if she hadn't been distracted by Oliver, who she saw standing about ten feet away, scanning the crowd of people. Suddenly, Felicity felt a hand on her thigh and when she looked down she noticed that the guy was patting the bare of her thigh suggestively.

"You're cute," she heard him say, but the alcohol was starting to take major effect on her low tolerance, and she immediately regretting shooting back those three shots within a fifteen minute timeframe.

Suddenly, she felt the presence of someone else, and as she looked back up she saw Oliver's face. He was standing off to the side of them, his eyes glancing down at the strangers hand on her leg.

"Excuse me," Oliver said, then slowly raised his eyes to the guy before turning to look at Felicity. "I need to speak with you, _privately."_

Felicity sighed and cross her arms, rolling her lips as she gave an apologetic look to the stranger.

"I don't really feel like speaking with your right now, Oliver," she said, turning her attention back to him. "Which might be strange coming from me, but given recent events I'm sure you can understand."

She noticed his jaw clench as he straightened his posture, clearly frustrated.

"Is this your boyfriend?" The guy asked, hesitantly.

"No," Felicity said, the word coming out far harsher than she wanted.

"Felicity, please," Oliver said, although she could sense his impatient tone.

Clearly something was going on with this toxic chemical case they were working on, but Felicity didn't want any part of it, she was allowed to be a normal human being for one night.

"I'm having a nice conversation with Connor here-"

"It's Carter, actually."

"-so I'm sure whatever you need to tell me can wait."

Oliver licked his lips, now fuming as he glanced around, clearly scanning for people watching, before he swiftly and aggressively slammed Carter's head into the bar. Felicity jumped in shock, gasping as she looked around but Oliver had done the motion so quickly and precisely that no one seemed to notice. Poor Carter was completely knocked out as Oliver placed his slightly bleeding head gently on the counter to make it seem like he had merely passed out.

"Now," Oliver said, offering a hand to her. "You're free."

There was a pause.

"You are seriously _unbelievable_," Felicity said, snatching her purse from the counter as she pushed past Oliver, ignoring his hand. She could hear him following after her as she took the stairs down to the basement, feeling more sober already.

"Firstly," Oliver said, when they were out of earshot. "I wouldn't have had to interrupt like that if you would have answered your phone."

Felicity scoffed at his words, spotting the key code as she moved quickly to keep ahead of him.

"Secondly," he continued. "I could practically see your eyes rolling into the back of your head from across the room when you were talking with him."

Felicity aggressively punched in the code to the lair, still refusing to meet his eyes.

"And thirdly," Oliver's tone suddenly became more serious. "We figured out the person behind all these toxic chemical bombs."

"Oliver I told you-" Felicity said, her cheeks burning from the alcohol and sudden turn of events. But she felt a hand on her elbow, stopping her midsentence. When she turned around, she was surprised to see that it was Oliver's hand.

"You're going to want to hear this," he said, before quickly releasing his hold.

Something about the way he spoke made her shut up and listen, like in that brief moment she saw a glimpse of who he used to be.

"His name is Samuel Smoak," he said, whispering the last name.

There was a brief pause.

"What?" Felicity said, the drinks burning in her stomach at the sound of that name.

"You never told me your father was the CEO of a chemical company capable of intoxicating millions with dangerous radiation," Oliver said, although he wasn't joking.

**More to come! Hope you all enjoy where this is going! Let me know what you think. **


	4. Chapter 3

Felicity opened her mouth to respond, defensive words riding the slope of her tongue at his sudden and disturbing comment. But before she could say anything she heard a high-pitched scream coming from somewhere above them. In the next instant, an absolute and earsplitting blast shook the room.

Oliver- with a surprised look on his face- stumbled into Felicity, catching her with both hands as she swayed sideways. In that moment there was some white blaze, which illuminated the dim basement, giving Felicity starry vision, like how the world looks after the flash of a camera. Pieces of the ceiling began to fall like an avalanche of snow as a hot wind slammed against the two of them. Felicity felt Oliver move with the blast as one of his arms wrapped around her waist, driving them both under an unstable table that was only ever used for holding booze.

A heavy piece of debris must have fallen on the table a second later, breaking its four legs, because Felicity heard Oliver grunt and strain as he braced his hands against the cement floor, one on either side of her. He hovered above Felicity, his body the only thing in between her and the wreckage that was threatening to make a sandwich out of her and the floor.

She watched Oliver suck in a gust of chalky, plaster dust- a cry following after as he thrust the useless and crunched table off of his back. A second later he collapsed onto the white powdered ground next to Felicity in a fit of coughing and wheezing, his lungs retching to get rid of the suffocating air as the world quieted around them.

Felicity tried to look around, but the falling dust, comparable to snow, clouded her eyes. She struggled to sit up, like a white marble statue that had been thrown from its mount. She was desperately trying to see Oliver, whose coughs had suddenly ceased, so that all she could hear was a soft whistling coming from his chest.

"Oliver?" Felicity managed to say, her heart erupting with the kind of adrenaline frenzy she'd once felt upon hearing of his death. There was a hazy light jutting in from somewhere, the only thing illuminating the room, and as the dust began to settle she realized it was coming from outside.

"I'm OK," she heard Oliver say a minute later. She watched his silhouette sit up, his chin lolled on his chest as he turned to face her.

"Can you move?" He asked, his voice distant and foggy; the ringing in her ear making it hard to focus on his words. Felicity felt his hands on her legs, prodding and kneading, obviously checking for broken bones. When he moved up to her arms, he leaned down so his face was inches from hers. She knew he was only checking to make sure she was breathing, but her heart jumped habitually at this closeness.

"I think so," she finally responded, bringing her mind back to the situation at hand.

"Here," he said in her ear, just as he moved one of his hands behind her head, the other grabbing her arm in order to pull her upright. She swallowed hard as Oliver helped lift her into a sitting position. She felt dizzy and all turned around but instead of saying anything she closed her eyes. She was expecting to feel the new Oliver's impatience at her slow recovery but instead she felt his hand linger on the back of her neck as he whispered: "You stay here, I'm going to see if Diggle and Roy are OK."

Felicity wasn't so much shocked at his words but more at his tone, which sounded slightly concerned.

"No," Felicity said, seeing Oliver a bit more clearly now, despite a thin layer of smoke still engulfing the air around them. She was about to say that she wanted to come with him when the sound of sirens infiltrated the eerie silence, making them both look up.

"Thea," Oliver said, his lips battered with chalky dust as he rolled them together at the thought of his sister hurt.

"Go," Felicity said, sliding away from his touch as she moved to stand. "I'll go check on Roy and Diggle-"

Just as she said this Oliver's phone buzzed in his pocket, clearly still operating after the debacle. He slipped it out and looked at it, seeing Roy's name light up the cracked screen.

"Where are you?" Oliver asked into the receiver as both him and Felicity moved slowly into a standing position. She already felt sore all over, knowing just by putting weight on her right foot that she was going to be limping for a week. Felicity couldn't help notice that Oliver seemed perfectly fine, not fazed in the slightest by a four hundred pound ceiling falling on top of him.

"Are you guys OK?" Felicity heard Roy ask, ignoring Oliver's question.

"We're fine," Oliver responded, although he glanced at Felicity as if he wasn't one hundred percent sure of this. "Where are you?" He repeated.

"I'm outside- with Thea," Felicity heard more sirens approaching overhead. "We're OK- but listen- you guys need to get out of there, this chemical gas is getting to people-making them pass out-get sick."

Felicity could hear Roy's voice breaking up in the other end and when Oliver pulled the phone away from his ear, she noticed the screen had gone black- dead.

"Roy and Thea are fine," Oliver said, squinting, as he peered out into the rubble, trying to gather his bearings. "You should meet them outside while I locate Diggle."

"I'm going with you," Felicity said in a flat tone.

"Felicity it's too dangerous with-"

"Oliver you knew me better than to think I'd just duck out," Felicity said, standing her ground. "I'm coming."

Although this didn't please Oliver, he nodded, turning to look out at the ash and charred pieces of plaster that covered the entirety of the area. They both moved forward, carefully, in a direction they believed used to be the entrance into the lair. The rubbish under their feet snapped in loud, bone breaking cracks that made them stumble and sway like drunks. Felicity moved through the debris slowly as if trudging through thick snow. She often found herself flapping her arms like a panicked bird when she lost her balance, Oliver's sturdy arm reaching out as his hand steadied her.

When they finally made it to what looked like the beginning of the metal stairway, leading down to the workstation, Felicity let out a breath of relief when she saw the area wasn't completely demolished. She could make out her computers in the far back, dark screened but still whole.

Oliver and Felicity hadn't made it very far down when they heard a distinct and low moan coming from somewhere off to the right. Peering through the faint lighting, Felicity was able to make out slight movements next to the cadaver table, which looked like it had been sliced in half.

"Diggle?" Felicity called out as her and Oliver waded a few steps closer. Sure enough, Diggle was lying on the powdered sugar floor, a light flow of some dark liquid pooling below his head. When he heard Oliver and Felicity approaching, he opened his eyes and looked up at them, sighing at their concerned expressions.

"Guess this time calls for an actual hospital?" He said, before losing consciousness.


	5. Chapter 4

**UPDATED**

Felicity felt a tight soreness in her back, a pinching sensation from sitting too long in the hospital chair. Behind closed eyes, she could hear the consistent beeping of a monitor machine that had tubes connecting to Diggle's arms. Her muscles tensed with every second that passed, just waiting for the flatline. Last time she checked, Digg was stable, despite the beating he had taken from the ceiling when pieces of debris fell on his head, which caused a concussion and some swelling. But ever since she thought Oliver died, every moment after has felt like a ticking clock, counting down the minutes until the next person she loves gets hurt. Felicity had to think of the worse case scenario, so she was more prepared this time. As these thoughts trailed through her mind she felt someone enter the room, but she didn't need to open her eyes to know it was Oliver, his tension was tangible. When she did finally open them, she saw his body was facing her, while his head was turned toward Diggle.

He looked exhausted, years of worry etched into his features. He was still wearing the clothes from the explosion- dusted with chalk and plaster, spots of some dark stain, likely his own blood, splattered throughout the fabric.

"How is he?" Oliver asked a moment later, his voice detached. His body was rigid as he finally turned to look at Felicity, his movements practiced and technical. Felicity got that feeling again, the same one she'd been having ever since he returned, a stubborn sensation of craving what you can't have. Felicity was used to not getting what she wanted, but this was different, the opportunity had presented itself not long ago. Oliver had been standing fully in front of her, one arm holding the strap to his bag as he turned to her slowly, a tender look in his eye as he spoke the eight letters she never thought would be true and honest coming from him. Then he was gone, along with his words and silent promises, like she had dreamed the whole thing.

"The doctors said he could be out for another day or so while the swelling in his brain goes down," Felicity said, saying her words slowly so her voice wouldn't crack. She moved forward in her chair, bringing a hand up to scrub through her hair.

Oliver was rubbing his index and thumb together, a nervous habit that Felicity had adopted thanks to him.

"How are Thea and Roy?" Felicity asked when she realized that Oliver wasn't going to say anything. His eyes cut from Felicity to Diggle as his features darkened.

"Not good," Oliver said, breathing in deeply. Hours before it had been reported that the toxic chemicals thought to have been contained within the building, were actually infecting people standing just outside of it, meaning hundreds of individuals were now under observation on the ground floor of the hospital. Roy and Thea were two of the many now only able to breathe through an oxygen tank. "Doctors don't know how to stop the poison, it is seeping into every inch of their bodies like a cancer."

Felicity rolled herself out of the chair, feeling the weight of the situation settle into her mind. She didn't want to think about Diggle, Roy, or Thea not being ok. She didn't want to think about how much worse these toxic explosions were going to get if she didn't help stop this. She didn't want to think about the hundreds of people on the verge of death just below her feet. But worst of all, she didn't want to think about her father being the one behind all this suffering.

When this thought passed through her, she shivered, crossing her arms over her chest. She knew they were going to have to confront her father, but after everything that had happened this past month, she didn't even know where to begin. Juggling three men she thought were out of her life forever was like fighting an army with a toothpick. A daunting task.

Almost like he were reading her mind, Oliver opened his mouth, "You don't have to come… when I go see him."

She knew whom he was talking about but his words still confused her.

"Why wouldn't I come-?" Felicity asked, but her voice betrayed her as it caught in her throat. Oliver seemed to notice this small break because he moved slowly toward her, as if to make the conversation more intimate.

"From what you've told me you haven't seen you father in some time," Oliver said, whispered but stern. "I don't want this situation to hinder your wor-"

"It won't," Felicity said, cutting him off, trying to sound as distant as he was making her feel. "Last time I saw my father I was very young, and he wasn't the best person to be around, so I have no problem putting him away."

She was surprised at the way her words sounded; so sure and determined against the backdrop of her memories. Oliver noticed this too because he raised an eyebrow and frowned, deep creases forming around the corners of his lips.

"Felicity, is there something you're not telling me?" He asked, readjusting his stance. But Felicity shook her head fiercely, pushing down the pain and heartache.

_This wasn't the time. This wasn't the place. _

"We should say goodbye to Diggle before we leave," Felicity said, pushing past Oliver as she moved over to her friend's bedside. Grasping his hand in hers she placed it on her thigh and watched his chest and stomach move up and down, working together like a seesaw.

"We'll be back," she whispered. "And when we do you better be awake." She prayed for the sake of Lyla and Sara, who were out grabbing food. Felicity then released his hand and turned to go. She heard Oliver hesitate in the room a moment longer, watching, until finally falling into step behind her.

-Arrow-

"So," Felicity said, watching Oliver hauling two very large and obvious suitcases out of the cab and onto the street in front of Felicity's apartment. "I'm guessing your quiver doesn't fit in the overhead compartment?"

Oliver turned and gave her a look; she couldn't help herself, she cracked a smile. Oliver was less amused as he waved the cab driver a farewell and turned to her.

"Getting caught for transporting questionable weaponry through airport security isn't my idea of time well spent," Oliver said, holding Felicity's gaze a second longer, before glancing down at her two small and manageable duffle bags.

She followed his eyes and then looked back up at him.

"What?" Felicity asked, watching him. "I'm a professional packer. I've gotten good at fitting things into small spaces."

Oliver rolled his lips at this and looked away while a small blush crept up Felicity's cheeks as she mouthed an 'oh-my-god' to herself. Central City, where her father lived, was a good two-day trip away, and she didn't know how she was going to limit the embarrassing comments without the buffer of Diggle.

"So, we're driving," Oliver said a beat later, suddenly looking at her expectantly. "And we're taking your car."

"Wait, what?" Felicity asked, bringing her thoughts back to the situation. She didn't know why her mind had automatically assumed they were taking his bike. They had always taken Digg's car when they visited Barry in Central City. Now that she thought about it the both of them plus copious amounts of luggage probably wouldn't roll well with gravity, but she could only hope. "Why mine?"

"Well it's either yours or your neighbors battery operated, ride-on car with Barbie's face stickered to the side," he said, pointing to a miniature toy car a few paces away.

Felicity looked at him and blinked.

"Pretty sure you just made a joke," she said.

"What's it going to be?" He countered, ignoring her comment, although she saw the slightest upward tug on the ends of his mouth.

"Fine, we'll take mine," Felicity caved, digging out the car keys from her purse. "But only because the Barbie ride-on doesn't have cup holders."

**Olicity road-trip next! Thanks for those of you who have stuck around and enjoyed reading my story! Much appreciated. Rating might possibly go up in the near future FYI. **


	6. Chapter 5

Felicity peaked through the slits of her eyelids at Oliver, who was scanning the road from the drivers seat, knuckles gripping the wheel so tightly that they were turning white. She watched the way his jaw moved forward and backward rhythmically, as if he were counting in his head or pondering a question. They had been traveling all day, despite the occasional bathroom break. Oliver had insisted he drive and whenever Felicity offered to take over he just shook his head no without taking his eyes from the highway. She knew that it gave him something to do, other than just sit there and mull over all the unanswered questions in his head. She had tried to make conversation the first half of the trip, but Oliver seemed too stuck in his own head to contribute, and it had frustrated Felicity beyond belief so she turned away and tried to sleep, unsuccessfully. Now, thinking she was being sneaky, Felicity's eyes traced a new scratch that had appeared by his right temple, surely a result of the explosion, which had now turned a deep purple. Normally Felicity would have patched it up for him, put on some disinfectant and a bandage, but she found that she still needed some validity that he was alive; that he was able to bleed like a normal, living human.

"You're staring," Oliver said suddenly, the deepness of his voice making her flinch. She opened her eyes fully and lifted her head from its resting place on the shoulder of the passenger seat.

"I was just thinking," she said, sheepishly. Oliver turned and looked at her for a second, a flash of curiosity passing over his eyes.

"Oh?" He said, his grip on the steering wheel loosening.

She nodded, but he wasn't looking at her. A tightness rose in her chest, which usually happened when she thought of his death.

"About this mythical Lazarus Pit bringing you back to life," Felicity said, watching his head shift upward in interest. "It just seems strange that we haven't heard about it before."

"Merlyn alluded to it once," Oliver said, rolling his shoulders. "And as of right now it seems to be the only solid explanation."

Felicity looked at him doubtfully. She knew not even he believed this, but there was no other plausible answers, and this was the only one they were provided with.

"I feel like there's a lot Dr. Wells isn't telling us," Felicity said, playing with the fabric of her skirt.

"The man clearly has secrets," Oliver said, readjusting his position. "But so do the rest of us."

Felicity pursed her lips in a pout, the ambiguity of the situation leaving her with an uneasy feeling. The entirety of the past few days had left her nervous and suspicious, but mainly the idea of seeing her father after a number of years was the root cause of this anxiety. She didn't want Oliver to know that she felt this way, because he would send her straight back to Starling in a heartbeat, especially with the way he had been acting lately. Nothing was going to get in between him and his duties.

"You should get some sleep," Oliver said suddenly, looking out at the darkened sky. "We should be there by late morning."

"Wait," Felicity said, sitting up straighter in her seat. "We're not stopping for the night?"

"Stopping where? There's nothing around here for miles," Oliver said, extending out a hand to showcase the empty desert. "Besides I can go the rest of the night."

"Oliver you've been driving all day." Felicity said, feeling as though she were scolding a child. "You need sleep."

"What I need," Oliver said, curtly. "Is to get to Central City before your father decides to blow up Starling, Diggle and Roy along with it."

"You're not going to be help to anyone if you're too tired to focus," Felicity said, fully facing him now.

"I'll be fine," Oliver said through his teeth. She was planning on staring him down until he agreed, but she suddenly spotted a gas station up ahead, lonely on the side of the road with a wasteland of nothing surrounding it, except for a small house in the back. Looking down at the gas tank Felicity nodded toward it.

"We need gas," she said, before buckling down in her seat. If he was right and this gas station was the only source of civilization for miles, they would have to keep on going without a break. Meaning they would be in Central City by morning and she didn't know if she was mentally prepared for that yet. She knew Oliver was more than capable of driving on, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to face her father yet.

Oliver pulled into the gas station, rolling up next to a pump just as Felicity opened her door. Getting out, she slammed it closed a little harder than necessary as she walked briskly toward the convenience store; intent on getting directions to the nearest motel along with purchasing an abundant amount of Hostess products to hold off her hunger. The bell chimed loudly as Felicity walked in, the low hum of the fluorescent lights following her as she walked over to the snack aisle. She scanned her options before settling on some sketchy looking pastries and a bottle of water she picked up on her way over to checkout. Placing the items on the counter she rang the small silver bell when she saw no one was around, the chime of it echoing into the back room where Felicity heard movement.

"Oh!" She heard a woman squeak, just as a shadow formed in the doorway. A second later a slightly overweight woman with a overly friendly smile appeared, clapping her hands together as if Felicity was an unexpected but welcomed guest. "Sorry I didn't hear you come in."

"It's fine," Felicity said, offering a smile but knowing she sounded exhausted.

"We don't usually have very many people stopping by this time of year," the woman said as she wiped her hands on her jeans. Her short hair bobbed around her face as her body shook with excitement at the prospect of having a customer. "You two been traveling long?"

The woman, who's nametag said Bee, gestured outside at Oliver who was leaned up against the hood of the car as he waited for the gas to finish pumping. Felicity glanced at him before turning back to Bee and nodding.

"Yeah," Felicity said, pulling out her wallet just as Bee started to ring up her purchases. "We were hoping to find a motel close by, you wouldn't happen to know of any?"

Bee stopped punching keys on the register as she looked up at Felicity.

"Oh honey," she said, as if she were delivering the worst kind of news. "There isn't nothin' out here for another hundred or so miles."

"Oh," Felicity said, glancing down at the Hostess pastries, which only made her stomach churn. "Frack."

There was a beat of silence as Bee looked between the door and the register, Felicity noticed that the woman was having some kind of debate in her head.

"Thanks anyway," Felicity chimed in, hoping Bee would finish ringing up her items so she could just leave.

"Well…" Bee's words trailed off as she rubbed her chin with her hand. "Why don't the two of you just stay the night at my house, I'm sure my husband won't mind."

"No thanks," Oliver's voice suddenly rang out from behind Felicity, making her jump. She hadn't even heard him come in. "We should really get back on the road."

"Oh come now," Bee said, placing her hands on her hips as she took in Oliver admiringly. "Our house is just behind the shop and you two clearly need some sleep, it looks like you just rose from the dead."

To this, Felicity shot Oliver a look, which he ignored with a shake of his head.

"We'll be fine," Oliver said, through a forced smile. Bee was still gearing up with a protest, and Felicity was more than willing to let her chip away at his wall. Although she didn't necessarily find the idea of staying at a strangers house comforting, she was welcomed to the distraction.

"At least stay for dinner," Bee said, staring down at the assortment of processed foods. Oliver followed her gaze and grimaced at the pastries, before looking at Felicity's expectant eyes.

"Dinner would be-" a beat between his words, then, clearly forced: "_Nice_."

"Wonderful!" Bee said, clapping her hands together before motioning for them to follow her outside. "Jay and I rarely get to entertain, mostly because his family lives-"

Felicity listened to Bee ramble on about the dispersing of family members as Oliver shot her an accusing look. She shrugged her shoulders as if to say what-can-I-do-now? He caught her elbow and pulled her back a few feet as Bee continued to mumble to herself, digging in her purse to find the keys to her house.

"We're only staying for dinner," Oliver said in a low voice.

"Right," Felicity nodded.

"That's it."

"Yep."

Oliver held her gaze a second longer before dropping his hand and starting toward the car. She breathed out as he got in and drove it around back just as Bee was beginning to delve into a story about her dead cat. There was no way they were just staying for dinner.

**Thoughts? **


End file.
